Obtaining seedlings from different pregermination treatments in pea seeds

Abstract

Pea cultivation is important for the local economy in peasant agriculture. However, the process of obtaining seedlings presents low uniformity in germination and size, making it difficult to schedule cultivation tasks in production. The effect of different pregermination treatments such as refrigeration, cover, and different concentrations of gibberellins on germination and the establishment of pea seedlings was evaluated. A completely randomized block design was used, whose classification criterion was the coverage of the germination tray (with or without black plastic cover caliber 2). Each block had four treatments, which combined two factors, seed storage temperature (with two levels, 4 or 16 °C before sowing) and gibberellins (0 or 100 mg.L^-1). The use of black plastic cover on the germination tray and the immersion of the seeds before sowing in 100 mg.L^-1 showed the germination percentage, germination potential, and mean germination time (MGT) in pea seeds var. Santa Isabel. Refrigeration of the seeds at 4 °C before sowing increased the germination percentage and reduced the MGT. The plastic cover, refrigeration at 4 °C and immersion in 100 mg.L^-1 of gibberellins increased the fresh and dry mass of stems, and the height of the seedlings, however, refrigeration at 4 °C, without gibberellins, and cover, generated the highest values ​​of dry and fresh mass of roots and leaves.